Abstract
Describing the current ionospheric conditions is crucial to solving problems of radio communication, radar, and navigation. Techniques to update ionospheric models using current measurements found a wide application to improve the ionosphere description. We present the results of updating the NeQuick and IRI-Plas empirical ionosphere models using the slant total electron content observed by ground-based GPS/GLONASS receivers. The updating method is based on calculating the effective value of the solar activity index, which allows minimizing the discrepancy between the measured and the model-calculated slant TEC. We estimated the updating efficiency based on the foF2 observational data obtained by ionosonde measurements. We calculated the data for 4 stations: Irkutsk, Norilsk, Kaliningrad, and Sodankylä. We analyzed 4 days in 2014: March 22, June 22, September 22, and December 18. We found that, in some cases, upon updating, the IRI-Plas underestimates the foF2, whereas NeQuick, on the contrary, overestimates it. We found a seasonal dependence of the updating efficiency of the ionosphere model using slant TEC. Possible causes of this dependence might be associated with the seasonal dependence of the correctness of model’s reproduction of the latitude–longitude TEC distribution. In general, we found the low level of the updating efficiency of the foF2 using slant TEC. This can be mainly explained by the fact that the models describe the electron density vertical profile and ionospheric slab thickness incorrectly.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Afraimovich EL et al (2013) Review of GPS/GLONASS studies of the ionospheric response to natural and anthropogenic processes and phenomena. J Space Weather Space Clim 3:A27. https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2013049
Barabashov BG, Maltseva O, Pelevin O (2006) Near real time IRI correction by TEC-GPS data. Adv Space Res 37(5):978–982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2006.02.008
Bilitza D, Reinisch B (2008) International reference ionosphere 2007: improvements and new parameters. Adv Space Res 42(4):599–609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2007.07.048
Bilitza D, Bhardwaj S, Koblinsky C (1997) Improved IRI predictions for the GEOSAT time period. Adv Space Res 20(9):1755–1760. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0273-1177(97)00585-1
Cherniak I, Zakharenkova I (2016) NeQuick and IRI-Plas model performance on topside electron content representation: spaceborne GPS measurements. Radio Sci 51(6):752–766. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015RS005905
Coïsson P, Radicella SM, Leitinger R, Nava B (2006) Topside electron density in IRI and NeQuick: features and limitations. Adv Space Res 37(5):937–942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2005.09.015
Enell C-F, Kozlovsky A, Turunen T, Ulich T, Välitalo S, Scotto C, Pezzopane M (2016) Comparison between manual scaling and Autoscala automatic scaling applied to Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory ionograms. Geosci Instrum Method Data Syst 5(1):53–64. https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-53-2016
Galkin IA, Reinisch BW, Huang X, Bilitza D (2012) Assimilation of GIRO data into a real-time IRI. Radio Sci 47(4):RS0L07. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011RS004952
Gulyaeva TL, Gallagher DL (2007) Comparison of two IRI electron-density plasmasphere extensions with GPS-TEC observations. Adv Space Res 39(5):744–749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2007.01.064
Gulyaeva TL, Huang X, Reinisch B (2002) Ionosphere–plasmasphere model software for ISO. Acta Geod Geophys Hung 37(2–3):143–152
Hernandez-Pajares M, Juan J, Sanz J, Bilitza D (2002) Combining GPS measurements and IRI model values for space weather specification. Adv Space Res 29(6):949–958. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0273-1177(02)00051-0
Hochegger G, Nava B, Radicella SM, Leitinger R (2000) A family of ionospheric models for different uses. Phys Chem Earth Part C Solar Terr Planet Sci 25(4):307–310. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1464-1917(00)00022-2
Hofmann-Wellenhof B, Lichtenegger H, Wasle E (2008) GNSS-global navigation satellite systems. Springer, Wien. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-73017-1
Karpachev AT, Klimenko MV, Klimenko VV, Pustovalova LV (2016) Empirical model of the main ionospheric trough for the nighttime winter conditions. J Atmos Sol Terr Phys 146:149–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2016.05.008
Khattatov B, Murphy M, Gnedin M, Sheffel J, Adams J, Cruickshank B, Yudin V, Fuller-rowell T, Retterer J (2005) Ionospheric nowcasting via assimilation of GPS measurements of ionospheric electron content in a global physics-based time-dependent model. Q J R Meteor Soc 131(613):3543–3559. https://doi.org/10.1256/qj.05.96
Klimenko MV, Klimenko VV, Zakharenkova IE, Cherniak IV (2015) The global morphology of the plasmaspheric electron content during Northern winter 2009 based on GPS/COSMIC observation and GSM TIP model results. Adv Space Res 55(8):2077–2085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2014.06.027
Komjathy A, Langley R (1996) Improvement of a global ionospheric model to provide ionospheric range error corrections for single-frequency GPS users. In: Proceedings of ION AM 1996. Royal Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge, MA, June 19–21, pp 557–566
Komjathy A, Langley R, Bilitza D (1998) Ingesting GPS-dervied TEC data into the international reference ionosphere for single frequency radar altimeter ionospheric delay corrections. Adv Space Res 22(6):793–802. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0273-1177(98)00100-8
Kotova DS, Ovodenko VB, Yasyukevichd Y, Klimenko MV, Mylnikova AA, Kozlovsky AE, Gusakov AA (2018) Correction of IRI-Plas and NeQuick empirical ionospheric models at high latitudes using data from the remote receivers of global navigation satellite system signals. Rus J Phys Chem B 12(4):776–781. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1990793118040127
Krankowski A, Shagimuratov II, Baran LW (2007) Mapping of foF2 over Europe based on GPS-derived TEC data. Adv Space Res 39(5):651–660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2006.09.034
Kunitsyn VE, Tereshchenko ED, Andreeva ES, Nesterov IA (2010) Satellite radio probing and radio tomography of the ionosphere. Phys Usp 53(5):523–528. https://doi.org/10.3367/UFNe.0180.201005k.0548
Kunitsyn VE, Andreeva ES, Nesterov IA, Padokhin AM (2013) Ionospheric sounding and tomography by GNSS. In: Jin S (ed) Geodetic sciences—observations, modeling and applications. InTech, Rijeka, pp 223–252. https://doi.org/10.5772/54589
Lunt N, Kersley L, Bailey G (1999) The influence of the protonosphere on GPS observations: model simulations. Radio Sci 34(3):725–732
Maltseva OA (2018) Use of TEC to determine foF2: differences and similarities at high and low latitudes. In: ICTRS ‘18 proceedings of the seventh international conference on telecommunications and remote sensing. ACM, New York, pp 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1145/3278161.3278172
Migoya-Orué Y, Nava B, Radicella S, Alazo-Cuartas K (2015) GNSS derived TEC data ingestion into IRI 2012. Adv Space Res 55(8):1994–2002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2014.12.033
Nava B, Coisson P, Amarante GM, Azpiliculeta F, Radicella SM (2005) A model assisted ionospheric electron density reconstruction method based on vertical TEC data ingestion. Ann Geophys 48(2):313–320. https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-3203
Nava B, Radicella SM, Leitinger R, Coisson P (2006) A near-real-time model-assisted ionosphere electron density retrieval method. Radio Sci 41(6):16. https://doi.org/10.1029/2005RS003386
Nava B, Radicella SM, Azpilicuetaer F (2011) Data ingestion into NeQuick 2. Radio Sci 46:RS0D17. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010RS004635
Nesterov IA, Kunitsyn VE (2011) GNSS radio tomography of the ionosphere: the problem with essentially incomplete data. Adv Space Res 47(10):1789–1803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2010.11.034
Okoh D, Onwuneme S, Seemala G, Jin S, Rabiu B, Nava B, Uwamahoro J (2018) Assessment of the NeQuick-2 and IRI-Plas 2017 models using global and long-term GNSS measurements. J Atmos Sol Terr Phys 170:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2018.02.006
Ovodenko VB, Trekin VV, Korenkova NA, Klimenko MV (2015) Investigating range error compensation in UHF radar through IRI-2007 real-time updating: preliminary results. Adv Space Res 56(5):900–906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2015.05.017
Pignalberi A, Pezzopane M, Rizzi R, Galkin I (2017) Effective solar indices for ionospheric modeling: a review and a proposal for a real-time regional IRI. Surv Geophys 39(1):125–167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-017-9438-y
Pignalberi A, Piertella M, Pezzopane M, Rizzi R (2018) Improvements and validation of the IRI UP method under moderate, strong, and severe geomagnetic storms. Earth Planets Space 70:180. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-018-0952-z
Schunk RW, Nagy A (2009) Ionospheres: physics, plasma physics and chemistry, 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press, New York
Schunk RW, Scherliess L, Sojka JJ (2003) Recent approaches to modeling ionospheric weather. Adv Space Res 31(4):819–828. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0273-1177(02)00791-3
Solomentsev DV, Khattatov BV, Titov AA (2013) Three-dimensional assimilation model of the ionosphere for the European region. Geomagn Aeron 53(1):73–84. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793212060114
Themens DR, Jayachandran PT, Galkin I, Hall C (2017) The empirical Canadian high Arctic ionospheric model (E-CHAIM): NmF2 and hmF2. J Geophys Res Space Phys 122(8):9015–9031. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JA024398
Wang C, Hajj G, Pi X, Rosen IG, Wilson B (2004) Development of the global assimilative ionospheric model. Radio Sci 39(1):RS1S06. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002RS002854
Wijaya DD, Haralambous H, Oikonomou C, Kuntjoro W (2017) Determination of the ionospheric foF2 using a stand-alone GPS receiver. J Geod 91(9):1117–1133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-017-1013-2
Yasyukevich Y, Mylnikova AA, Kunitsyn VE, Padokhin AM (2015) Influence of GPS/GLONASS differential code biases on the determination accuracy of the absolute total electron content in the ionosphere. Geomagn Aeron 55(6):763–769. https://doi.org/10.1134/S001679321506016X
Yasyukevich YuV, Ovodenko VB, Mylnikova AA, Zhivetiev IV, Vesnin AM, Edemskiy IK, Kotova DS (2017) GPS/GLONASS total electron content based methods for ionospheric error compensation for the radio communication systems. Vestnik Povolzhsk State Technol Univ Ser Radio Eng Infocommun Syst 2(34):19–31. https://doi.org/10.15350/2306-2819.2017.2.19
Zhukov A, Sidorov D, Mylnikova A, Yasyukevich Yu (2018) Machine learning methodology for ionosphere total electron content nowcasting. Int J Artif Intell 16(1):144–157
Zolesi B, Cander LR (2014) Introduction. In: Ionospheric prediction and forecasting. Springer geophysics. Springer, Berlin. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38430-1_1
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge Tamara Gulyaeva for the IRI-Plas code available via the IZMIRAN website (ftp://izmiran.ru/pub/izmiran/SPIM/), Telecommunications/ICT for Development (T/ICT4D) Laboratory of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy, for providing the NeQuick model code. We acknowledge IGS for GPS/GLONASS data (ftp://garner.ucsd.edu/pub/rinex). The SGO data of the foF2 are openly available at http://www.sgo.fi/Data/Ionosonde/ionData.php and at https://www.ukssdc.ac.uk/wdcc1/iiwg_menu.html. The Kaliningrad, Irkutsk and Norilsk manually scaled ionosonde data and HORT data are openly available at https://github.com/darshu-dark/observation_data_for-GPS-Solutions-manuscript-of-Kotova-et-al. The data in Irkutsk region were recorded by using the Angara Multiaccess Center facilities at ISTP SB RAS (http://ckp-rf.ru/ckp/3056/) under budgetary funding from the Basic Research Program II.12. Data adaptation and checking of model correctness before and after updating procedure for stations at high-latitude were performed at financial support of the Russian Science Foundation (Grant 17-77-20009). The Irkutsk and Kaliningrad ionograms manual scaling, empirical model usage and model-data comparison was funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant № 18-55-52006). The work of E. Andreeva (radio tomography data processing and analysis) was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant № 19-05-00941).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kotova, D.S., Ovodenko, V.B., Yasyukevich, Y.V. et al. Efficiency of updating the ionospheric models using total electron content at mid- and sub-auroral latitudes. GPS Solut 24, 25 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-019-0936-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-019-0936-x